We are so passionate about the brands we carry, many of them small businesses themselves, that we thought it would be cool to share their stories! We will be featuring many of the folks behind the incredible companies that we partner with. Our first is Amy Hamilton, Founder of High-End Hippie Wellness! Let's get started...
Who are you and what is your company?
My name is Amy Hamilton. I am the founder, formulator and visionary behind The High-End Hippie. We are a wellness based company that specializes in eco luxury
shampoo and conditioner bars.
Our bars are handcrafted and uniquely formulated using clean ingredients, organic botanicals and an anti frizz technology, that will leave your hair looking like you just left the salon.
Our efforts go far beyond mitigating plastic pollution, which is now posing a threat to human health; we are also addressing climate change, soil degradation, biodiversity, water conservation and deforestation. One way we do this is through our tree planting program for every 2 bars sold one tree is planted.
I grew up in rural Nova Scotia on a hobby farm, my family is very connected to earth and non-industrial farming practices. In my 20's I began my career working for Fairmont Hotel & Resorts, working my way up into leadership roles within the spa. All of my life experience led to the name, The High-End Hippie. To me it's the perfect fusion of my style and values.
I now reside in the Okanagan, British Columbia with my husband and our son.
How did the High-End Hippie get started?
For the longest time I had this deep rooted feeling that I was destined for something greater and was not living up to my potential. In May 2017 I left my job with Fairmont without any sort of plan or interim job. I dabbled in a few entrepreneurial endeavours but they weren’t the kind of things I wanted to make a career out of.
Environmental issues led me to incorporating zero waste practices and products into the household. This was my first introduction to shampoo bars, and though I loved the concept, I was less than impressed with the results.
Coming from a luxury spa background, I was used to using high-end professional lines, but the naturalist in me didn’t love many of the ingredients in these professional products. That is when it dawned on me “I CAN DO THIS!”, I can curate a line of shampoo and conditioner bars that could produce professional results but with clean ingredients….and that is how The High-End Hippie started.
What challenges have you faced?
There have been so many learning curves along the way and I am still learning as I go. All things business related, being an indie company and personally financing a start up, balancing being a mom/wife and ambitious entrepreneur.
What are you the most proud of?
Everything!! Over the past 2 years ago we have accomplished and evolved so much. Our company has been able to grow organically through word of mouth and we have partnered with some of the best industry leaders like
Hair Holistic.
What else are you passionate about and enjoy?
Dinner/drinks with friends and family and spa days are my favourite pastimes. I love being down at the lake swimming, hiking and are hoping to get out skiing more this winter.
Thank you so much Amy for sharing your story. The world needs more of folks like you!
The High-End Hippie creates salon quality hair products that allow you to pursue an environmentally conscious lifestyle without sacrificing beauty or luxury. They are a female owned company operating and residing on the Sylix Territory of the Okanagan (Lake Country, BC).
They only use ingredients that are either organically farmed, sustainable, COSMOS-standard/ECOCERT, or readily biodegradable and they work with a Green-e certified printing company to offset carbon emissions. Their ingredients are vegan and the bars are lighter to ship compared to traditional liquid shampoo; resulting in fewer emissions.
Their products are made in small batches with lots of love and for every 2 bars purchased, 1 tree is planted!
Stay tuned for more Brand Feature Blogs, and let us know if theres someone in particular you want us to spotlight!
